Chapter 106

The dead silence of the reef beach felt as though a pause button had been pressed. Chen Mo lay flat on the broad, metal-platform-like back of Lord Dog, his ragged breathing tearing at his burning throat. Every inhalation carried the heavy stench of blood and the cold, dusty smell of the reef rocks. He raised his head with great effort. On his blood-stained face, his eyes were exceptionally clear. Deep within his left eye, the cyan-gray edge of "Seeing Truth" was no longer flashy; instead, it settled into the stillness of a deep pool's cold star, carrying an absolute transparency and calm after cleaving through ages of mist. His gaze swept past the dim and crumbling cyan-gray barrier of sword intent ahead, landing without obstruction upon that ancient, dark hilt mottled with the marks of time.